Trapped
by selenaxo
Summary: Spencer's new neighbor is gorgeous, and Emily can barely keep her eyes off her. But just when she gets the courage to talk to her instead of stare at her from Spencer's window, theres a twist. Trapped in an abandoned house by A with no way out, the girls fight to keep this new girl alive, and themselves. And this new girl has her own big secrets.. about her childhood friend Alison.
1. Prologue

**For Alison fans: Yes, both Alison AND Courtney will be in this fanfic! (Sorry to spoil something, just thought you should know)**

**Hello! I hope you enjoy my brand new fanfic, ****_Trapped._**** I decided that instead of having just a romance story between Emily and an OC of mine, I would write a romance story... with a twist! :P I hope you enjoy it! And this chapter is like a really long prologue(seriously im so sorry its so long). Its background info, about two incidents from a long time ago... *mysterious music plays***

**Please enjoy! And PLEASE keep in mind that I have a lot of fanfics I am writing at the same time, because that's how I like to write them (I like to write a bunch of stories at one time) and school starts for me next tuesday september 3rd (I know, late :D) so if updates are ever slow I apologize and feel free to spam me for more! XD**

**I apologize once again about the length of the prologue. Hehe...**

* * *

_It was Katherine's 9th birthday, and she didn't feel excited at all._

_This birthday was turning out to be the worst birthday ever. Her dad was getting drunk already when she woke up (no surprise) and she was sure he had totally forgotten. It was a Friday and her teachers kept piling on the homework, even though she was only in 4th grade and she felt that this was unfair. _

_'Note to self: Rosewood Elementary is not a fun place to be when you're turning 9,' she thought. And t__he only thing she had to look forward to today was to walk the short distance to the house of her two best friends ever._

_Their names were Alison and Courtney DiLaurentis, and they just happened to be identical twins._

___Alison was the most popular, and the most feared, girl at school. She controlled everything and everyone. Even teachers were wary of her. The only person that didn't truly fear her was Katherine, and that's why the Alison liked her so much. They had been friend since she Katherine was 5 and Alison was 6, and for a 9-year-old, 4 years felt like an eternity for a friendship to last. And even though Katherine just happened to be friends with the most popular girl at Rosewood Elementary, she didn't really have any other friends besides Alison or Courtney. On top of that, Alison was in 5th grade, a grade above her, so she had no friends in her own grade._

_Back to Courtney and Alison being twins. These two girls seriously looked exactly like. The hair, the eyes, the smile, the voice. Everything. But there was something odd that Katherine never understood for a long time. Courtney never went to school with them. The only time she ever did go to school was a very long time ago. She always stayed at home, with a home school teacher. When Katherine first became friends with them, she was told by Mrs. DiLaurentis to never speak about Courtney to anyone besides the DiLaurentis family themselves (Jason, Alison, Mr. DiLaurentis and Mrs. Dilaurentis). Then, Alison decided to tell her about her sister's homeschooling in a conversation they had walking home from school just a couple months ago..._

* * *

**_3 months ago..._**

_The two friends made their way towards Alison's house. As they were walking, the blonde 10-year-old sighed, looking up at the cloudy sky. "I wonder what poor Courtney is doing now. Probably something horribly boring. Like math." Katherine laughed, and Alison gave her a look only Alison could ever make, where she would smirk in an evil, but almost flirty way, and she would flick her big, sapphire eyes up and down her body. It was a look Katherine was given incredibly often by Alison, and occasionally Courtney (who had learned it from her sister). Alison then took her hand and held it, intertwining her fingers with Katherine's. The two friends continued walking. _

_Katherine smiled. She liked when they held hands. _

_Katherine was quiet. She always was. But, unusually, Alison was too. She looked down, a look of sorrow filling her face. _

_"Katherine?" she said softly. _

_"Mm-hm?"_

_"Do you want to know why Courtney is rarely ever allowed outside the house?"_

_Katherine was so surprised to hear these words that she stopped walking. "What?"_

_Alison stopped too. She turned around to face her friend and squeezed her hand harder. _

_"Years ago, Courtney and I were watching TV. A friend of ours came over, and I wanted to play with her, and so did Courtney. But for some reason, our friend seemed to like me better than she liked Courtney, and Courtney hated it, because she practically worshipped this girl. And she always blamed me for her not liking Courtney as much, even though I had absolutely nothing to do with it." Alison paused. Katherine couldn't help but notice how mature Alison was. She had always been that way. Even though she was 10, she could pass off to be 13, or even 14, and the way she talked, and thought, and opinionated about things was definitely much more advanced than a 10 year old's brain. She also knew everything about everyone. She was the master of secrets. And even if you hadn't told her your secret, she would know. She had ways of figuring out._

_"After our friend had left, I looked at Courtney, and I had never seen her so mad in my entire life. 'It's all your fault, Ali!' she screamed. 'It's all your fault that she doesn't like me as much as she likes you! You are ruining my life!' At first, I tried apologizing and telling her I never meant to cause any of this and it wasn't a big deal, but she just kept getting angrier. My apologies turned it to remarks, and e got into a fight. When I thought it was over, I was relieved. But the fight was far from over..." A tear rushed down Alison's cheek. "Courtney was so mad, that she... she went into the kitchen, took the biggest knife she could find, and..." More tears came. Katherine couldn't even believe her eyes or ears._

_Alison lifted up a part of her green shirt to show a huge, white scar going up her right side. Katherine felt a tear fall down her cheek._

_"My parents sent me to the hospital, and they were too afraid to call or tell anyone what had happened. They were afraid someone would say something to the police or Radley, and that they would take their daughter, my sister, away from us. They cried for days. It was so hard for them, because they knew there was something seriously wrong with their daughter, because no normal person would react to something they didn't like by stabbing their own twin sister. And now, there's always someone watching her, because we are afraid of what might happen. We can never talk about her to others, because we don't want anyone to know who she is now. We're afraid of what she might do to other people. And we keep her indoors, so she can't hurt anyone. Ever."_

_Katherine, now slightly trembling, frowned. "Ali...?"_

_Alison looked up. "What?" she said, fear filling her sky blue eyes._

_"Who was the friend of yours that came over that day?"_

_Alison closed her eyes. Suddenly, Katherine realized the answer to her question. Her blue eyes opened._

_"You. It was you." _

_It was Katherine's turn to close her eyes. "Oh my gosh," she said. "I..." She had no words._

_Alison frowned. "Remember that summer a long time ago, just about 6 months after you became friends with us? Remember how my mom told you that I went to a camp for the whole summer? She lied. I spent it all recovering in the hospital."_

_Katherine suddenly felt dizzy. "I had no idea. I mean, yeah, when I was little, I did prefer you over Courtney but... I am so sorry. I feel like this is my fault."_

_"No! Of course not! It's not anyone's fault. We just have to accept that my sister has..." Alison took a deep breath before saying it. "...that my sister has a mental illness." Alison trembled. She then looked Katherine straight in the eyes. "K, now that I've told you that, I'd really love it you can NEVER tell anyone. EVER. Promise?" she pleaded. K was a nickname Ali and Courtney called her._

_Katherine frantically nodded. "Of course. I promise. Let's change the subject."_

_Alison sighed and smiled. They started walking again. _

_There were many long minutes of silence as they made their way to Ali's house._

* * *

_Katherine shuddered, thinking about that moment 3 months ago. She was sitting at her desk, waiting for last period to be over. She began to tap her pencil on her desk impatiently, twirling her long, chestnut brown hair around her fingers._

_Finally, the bell rang. Kids packed up their stuff quickly. There was very high energy in the room, because it was Friday, and that meant no school for two days._

_As she left the room, she spotted her blonde friend, who was quickly running up to her. "Katherine! I haven't seen you all day!" she yelled just before she wrapped her arms around her brunette friend and gave her the biggest hug she had ever received. "Happy birthday, sweetie," Alison said right into her ear as she was hugging her. Katherine hugged back for a few moments, and then they both released. _

_Alison was giggling and jumpy. "We made the best present for you! It's at home!" Katherine always immediately knew who Ali was talking about when she said 'we.' _

_"Really? You guys made me something? Thats so nice," she said, excited and happy for the first time today. _

_"Come on!" She grabbed her wrist and began running and giggling. Katherine was being pulled along. They ran through the school exit and started to run towards the DiLaurentis house, as they always did at the end of the day._

_After they ran for a while, they stopped and walked instead. After catching their breath, __Ali spoke up. "I talked to someone in my grade today. I haven't ever really talked to her before. She's someone I would really like to be friends with." Alison smiled and looked at her in a way Katherine was always fascinated by. It was a look that plainly said, 'I know you better than you know yourself.' This look always gave her the shivers. _

_"You would _really _like her," said Ali. "I know it."_

_Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Really? What's her name?"_

_Alison paused before answering._

_"Emily. Her name is Emily Fields."_

_Katherine smiled. She knew exactly who that was. She was the girl in Alison's 5th grade class. Katherine liked her. She seemed so sweet._

_She looked at her blonde friend and responded. "You mean that tall, dark-haired girl with olive skin? I've heard about her and seen her a few times. She's nice."_

_Katherine paused before adding, "And really pretty."_

_She saw her blonde friend smile. "I talked to some other girls, too. Aria Montgomery is..."  
_

_Alison cut herself off. They had arrived at her house. "Well, I'll tell you about it later. Come on!" The two ran up the stairs, through the unlocked front door and into the house. They ran into the living room, where two people sat at a mahogany table. One was the teacher, and the other was Courtney. The two looked up from the text book they were reading. Courtney grinned. _

_Katherine shivered every time she was with the two of them in the same room- they just looked so alike... they were the spitting image of each other._

_"Excuse me, Ms. Brook?" she said sweetly to the pretty brunette homeschool teacher. "Do you mind if we steal Courtney for just a moment? We're terribly sorry to interrupt your studies." Katherine rolled her big, bright emerald eyes. Alison truly had a way with words. If she wanted something from adults, she'd use the sweetest voice she could and the biggest vocabulary words she knew how to use. She could get anything she wanted to from anyone, because she knew how to work with every single person with every ranging personality, age, and gender. Her sister had the exact same skill, and tended to use it more often than Alison did. They were so good at it. It was so evil. And Katherine absolutely loved it._

_Ms. Brook laughed. "Of course, sweetie. Courtney and I were just finishing up anyways." She turned to her. "You may go be with your sister and your friend now. Remember your assignments due on Monday."_

_Courtney nodded quickly. "Thanks! I will!" she said, running towards them in a flash. She quickly hugged Katherine. "I can't believe you're turning 9 today! Come on, we have your present in our room!"_

_The three raced up the stairs, giggling the whole way. On the way to their room, Ali stopped to opened the door to their brother's room. Courtney and Katherine stopped in the hallway. Courtney looked over at Katherine, giving her a look that said, 'What the heck is she doing?' Katherine just shrugged._

_Jason, the twins _almost_ 16-year-old brother (he always made sure you said almost, because even thought he was still 15 his birthday was in a month, and he liked to make sure that people knew he was just a month a way from 16), had huge headphones on that flattened down his sandy blonde hair, and the music could be heard all the way from the hallway. He was on his computer. His room was overall dark blue, with scary posters covering the walls everywhere. It was so messy you couldn't even tell what color the carpet was. Or if he even had one._

_"Jason!" Alison yelled. "Do you want to help give Katherine our present, or at least wish her a happy birthday?"_

_He didn't hear her. He just blankly continued to stare at his computer, slightly bobbing his head to the music._

_Ali marched into his room. Courtney and Katherine ran to the doorway, observing the scene. Ali picked one headphone up from his ear._

_"JASON!" Ali yelled right into his ear as loud as she could._

_Jason jumped a mile into the air. Courtney and Katherine giggled hysterically. After their brother finished his mini-freakout, he looked at his sister, took off his headphones and said, "What the fuck?!"_

_Ali gave him a look. "Whoa, Jason! Language! I was trying to ask you to wish Katherine a happy birthday, or something, but your such a JERK that I bet you don't even care!"_

_Katherine and Courtney had stopped giggling after he swore. They were standing quietly, wide-eyed in the doorway now. _

_"Yeah, whatever," he said, putting his headphones on. "Happy birthday. Have fun being 8 years old."_

_Katherine looked down. "But... I'm turning 9..." she said softly._

_Courtney looked at Katherine with sympathetic eyes. She could tell Jason had offended her. She took a hold of her hand and intertwined her fingers with Katherine's, just like Alison always did. It scared Katherine how much they were alike sometimes. _

_Courtney then began to yell at Jason. "I'm so telling Mom that you said the F word!" she yelled._

_"Kay. See if I care." Jason un-paused his music. "And on your way out, turn the lights off and close the door!" he said loudly, obviously not able to hear himself. His eyes returned to his computer._

_Ali let out a frustrated grunt, crossed her arms, and made her way towards her brunette friend and her twin. "Come on. We are leaving Jerk Central Station. Now."_

_They turned off the lights and closed the door, as Jason had told them to do. They took the few steps they needed to take to enter Ali and Courtney's room._

_The twin's room was so incredibly different from Jason's. It was painted with light colors, like cream and pale pink. There were various pictures of them together around, along with posters and other things that Katherine didn't understand because they were in French. There were white leather chairs to the right. Their bed was big for one person, but the twins shared it. Sometimes, on sleepovers that the three had (which was incredibly often, given that Katherine hated spending time at home at night, because that meant her drunk dad would be there) they would all three sleep on the bed together. It was so much , the room was so clean, it shone with cleanliness 24/7, and it always smelled amazing. A complete opposite to Jason's room by far._

_The girls were in a better mood now. Katherine watched as Courtney pulled a large piece of cardboard paper out from under their bed._

_"Happy birthday," she said, handing it to her. "Sorry about our brother."_

_"It's okay," she said, taking the gift. The two girls had the exact same eager look on their faces, waiting for her to look at it. Katherine looked down, and grinned._

_Ali and Courtney had made her a gorgeous collage of tons of different pictures of all three of them together, doing fun activities, having sleepovers, and more. In the middle was when all three of them got their picture taken professionally together, because Jessica DiLaurentis thought they should have a memorable photo together. The picture was of Katherine in the middle, with her thick, wavy, chestnut brown hair in clips, and her olive skin that glowed in the sunlight. on her right was Ali, and on her left Courtney. They also both looked beautiful, with blonde ringlets the color of honey, creamy skin, and matching blue dresses. Their icy blue eyes reflected the sunlight in their eyes._

_Katherine just stared at it. She didn't even know what to say. It was the most wonderful present she had ever received._

_And then she began to cry._

_Ali immediately rushed to her side. "What's wrong?" she asked._

_Katherine shook her head. "N-nothing," she stammered. "I... just love this so much..." She took a moment to inhale some air. "Your family has accepted me and loved me a million times more than my own... I just don't know how I am ever going to repay you." She continued to look down. "Courtney, I know you may have some mental instabilities, but we will get through this together. I love you both so much, thank you..."_

_Alison wrapped her arms around Katherine's neck as she stood on her right side. "We love you too." Then, Alison realized something. Her eyes flung open. "Wait. Katherine. What did you say about Courtney?"_

_Katherine sniffled. As she looked up, she talked. "I said that even though Cou-"_

_Katherine stopped. Her eyes were wide. She looked up._

_Courtney wasn't standing in front of them anymore._

_"Oh no." Ali shook her head. "Katherine, why did you say that? I told you to never mention her illness in front of her! She doesn't know that you know!"_

_"I-I forgot, I'm sorry!" Katherine looked around the room, now feeling terrified. "Where... where did she go?"_

_Ali and Katherine heard the noise right behind them at the exact same time. The two girls slowly turned around. _

_Katherine almost screamed._

_Courtney was standing there, right behind them. She would've looked completely normal, if you counted out the creepy smile._

_And the giant kitchen knife that she held in her right hand._

_Ali made sure to be calm, but because they were holding hands now, she could feel her heart racing. _

_"Courtney," she said, acting completely calm and talking slowly. "I would really appreciate it if you put the knife down."_

_Courtney's face became angry. She pointed the knife right at Katherine. The brunette yelped._

_"You!" the blonde with the knife said. "You hate me, don't you? You hate me for my illness! You hate me, and you love Alison!" Katherine tried to interrupt to tell her that wasn't true, but she was too afraid to. "How long have you known about my secret illness?" she growled._

_"A... a few... months... I-I guess..." Her response came out in small squeaks. "But-"_

_"I bet the only reason you even come here is to spend time with my sister, not me! It's never me!" Courtney was losing it. Her voice started cracking. Her eyes were wide and crazy. She was a completely different person she was a moment before. Katherine felt so bad; she knew how bad Courtney's illness was. It was terrifying.  
_

_She pointed the knife at Ali. "You. You will pay for this. It's all YOUR fault. If you never existed, she would love ME, not YOU!" She began to get closer to Alison. "So, I promise you, I'm going to MAKE YOU EXIST NO MORE!"_

_Jessica DiLaurentis must have heard her daughter yelling, because just as Courtney was about to bring down the knife on her own twin's throat, Mrs. DiLaurentis grabbed her arm just in time. Courtney turned to her mother and began to scream. _

_"ITS NOT FAIR! I WANT TO BE LOVED TOO! WHY CAN'T YOU LOVE ME AS MUCH AS YOU LOVE ALI?!"_

_"Courtney!" Her mother screamed. She was crying now. They all were. The three of them knew how devastating this mental disease was. "Please, calm down! Put down the knife and calm down!"_

_But she wasn't. Her breathing only got heavier._

_"Sweetie, we all love you very very much! Just as much as we love Ali, and everyone else in this family. You have to believe us! I don't even know where you got this silly idea that we don't love you, because it is not true at all!"_

_"You DON'T! You don't love me. None of you do! YOU NEVER DID! I know because Mia told me!" Her mother's eyes widened. Mia was an old imaginary friend Courtney used to obsess over. She hadn't talked about Mia in years. She assumed she had gotten over it. But that wasn't the case. Mia was still in her head, but Courtney chose not to talk about it. And Mia had been telling her to do things... And Jessica looked sympathetically on her schizophrenic and criminally insane daughter._

_She tried to squirm free of her mother's grip. But she couldn't. Jessica plucked the knife from her hands and held her two wrists with one hand, while reaching for her cell phone. She had Radley on speed dial. __Just in case._

_And in this situation, she realized that although she loved her daughter very much, it was time to tell her goodbye._

**_1 hour later_**

_"I promise, Mrs. DiLaurentis, that your daughter will be completely safe in our facilities, and you and your family will be able to visit her whenever you like."_

_Mrs. D had been crying for the past hour. Same with Ali and Katherine. Ali had even spotted Jason shed a tear or two. _

_And even the twin's dad was here for the unfortunate event._

_Ali and Katherine hadn't stopped holding hands the entire time as the family watched the Radley employees dress a struggling Courtney into a straight jacket. Katherine could barely watch. _

_Just as they were about to take her away into the special car, Katherine let go of Ali's hand and ran up to her ill friend. Tears were flowing out of her eyes like a faucet._

_"I-I love you Courtney. I always have. You are like a sister to me."_

_Courtney's face was scrunched angrily, and she wouldn't stop twitching. "No you don't," she managed to say. "You wouldn't be sending me away if you loved me."_

_Ali walked up. "No, Courtney. We're sending you away _because _we love you."_

_Courtney snarled. The Radley employees started to move her towards the car, but Courtney continued to yell at Alison. "I'm not done with you, Alison DiLaurentis! Remember the promise I made, and remember it for the rest of your life! Because I meant every word of it! I will END you someday! PERMANENTLY!"_

_And with that, they shut the doors. And it was the last time Katherine saw Courtney in a _very, very _long time. The two held hands together as they sobbed._

_"Katherine. I will always be your best friend. And I will always protect you from everything I possiblly can. I promise. Okay?"_

_Katherine nodded. "Okay, Ali."_

_Katherine was right from the beginning of the day. This really was the worst birthday ever. _

_And she would remember this day for the rest of her entire life..._


	2. The Girl Next Door

**Just a clarifier: This is set in whatever present day it is currently on the show, except Emily is no longer with Paige (sorry Paily fans!) and lets just pretend that the mid season finale hasn't happened and they don't know Alison is alive.**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

**1: The Girl Next Door**

_Spencer (Received at 4:30pm): Hey, I know you told us not to bother you, but I would really like it if you came over. Aria and Hanna are here also, and they want to see you too. It's important. I know you need alone time, but please._

Emily sighed and bit into the red juicy apple in her hand. Trying to eat and reply at the same time, she slowly responded to her friend.

_(Sent at 4:32pm): It's okay. Sure, I'm coming over. I'll be there in a few._

Emily left her house with her black sweater, a white v-neck, dark jeans, and long, knee-high brown boots. She quickly hopped into her car, turned the key, and made her way toward's Spencer's. It was only a few minutes away, but Emily felt like this may be urgent. Maybe something about CeCe? She wasn't sure. But she wanted to get there as soon as possible.

Emily tossed her apple core out the window and into the bushes just as she parked her car near Spencer's house. After locking the car, she walked up and knocked on the door. Emily hoped this wasn't too serious.

The door swung open, revealing Spencer in jeans and a baggy sweater. Emily found this odd- that wasn't really Spencer's style.

"Hey! You're here. I'm really glad. Aria and Hanna are waiting for you in my room."

Emily nodded, her arms crossed. She walked into Spencer's warm house. It was a cloudy day, and it was getting pretty cold.

Emily made her way up the stairs and through the short hallway towards Spencer's room. In the hallway, she could hear music playing from the room, and recognized the song to be Glitter & Gold by Rebecca Ferguson.

When she walked in, she was immediately greeted by a babbling Hanna.

"Em, do you think this shirt looks weird on me?" she asked her immediately without greeting her or acknowledging the fact that she had just arrived. She was wearing a white shirt with a black bow, and orange skinny jeans. "I mean, Aria thinks it looks fine. But I'm not so sure."

Emily laughed. "Hello to you too, Hanna. I think that outfit looks great on you." Emily looked over at Aria, and couldn't help but notice how pretty her short, brunette friend was. In fact, she thought all her friends were gorgeous. Aria was wearing a black shirt and tight leopard print skirt. It had spikes on the sleeves of the shirt and was loose, whereas her leopard print skirt was tight. She wore a brown belt with a huge buckle that separated her shirt from her skirt. Emily smiled.

"Hey, Em!" said Aria. She came up and hugged her much taller friend. "None of us have seen you for a day or two. Are you... okay? We were pretty worried about you."

Emily sighed. The past few days, she had been trying to get over her recent break-up with Paige. It had been so hard. She had told her friends that she just needed some space for a few days, and asked for none of them to bother her for a while. She felt like she had been sitting on the couch, watching movies for much longer than 3 days. It had felt like years.

"Not really," she responded to Aria. "But, I'll be fine." Hanna gave Emily a sympathetic look and hugged her also. Emily smiled. Hanna didn't always show it, but she was so sweet.

Just then, Spencer walked in the room. Hanna let go of Emily and looked up at Spencer. The three girls sat down on Spencer's bed, and all eyes were on her.

"Okay," she began. "So I invited you all over because..." she stopped. For some reason, she was now looking above them, towards her window, with intent. It was very unusual for Spencer to stop mid-sentence.

Hanna looked at Emily, confused. Emily saw Aria raise an eyebrow.

"Spence?" Aria said. "You gonna finish that sentence?"

"Guys," she said, still staring out her window, a stern look on her face. "There's someone in Ali's old house."

Spencer had a perfect view straight into the room of their former friend, Alison DiLaurentis. The house was just across the street. Maya St Germain, Emily's deceased girlfriend, had moved there just after Ali had been found buried underground in her own backyard, brutally murdered. Once Maya had passed away, Mrs. DiLaurentis moved back in. Two days ago, she had moved out again. There was currently no one living there.

This was a big deal. All four girls immediately rushed over to Spencer's window, trying to get a look. They peered out cautiously, careful that the girl wouldn't see them staring. The song on Spencer's speakers changed to Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Ray.

The girl in Ali's former room was a short brunette. Her hair was chestnut brown, thick, wavy and long. It was up in a ponytail, and a multi-colored bow held it in place. She had tan, olive skin, just like the color of Emily's, and she was wearing a very pretty white dress that had a navy blue bow around the waist. She was walking around Ali's room, just looking around. Emily had noticed before, when she moved in to Ali's room for a few days, that Jessica DiLaurentis had kept it just like Ali had left it when she disappeared, and it still looked that way. The girl was now rummaging through things.

Emily felt her cheeks get very warm. Emily thought his girl was really, really attractive. She smiled with her lips slightly pressed together, a look she only gives when she sees a beautiful girl. When Ali was around, she felt herself smile like this all of the time. But something about this girl was stirring up a warm feeling inside of her. A feeling she really liked. A lot. Emily felt herself blush even more than before, and she had to bite her lip and look down, away from the girls, to keep them from seeing. After a few moments, she had to look back up. She couldn't keep herself from watching her.

"What is she doing...?" Hanna asked rhetorically about the girl. Hanna's question didn't even cause Emily to emerge from her thoughts. She was completely lost in them.

"It looks like she's looking for something," Spencer answered her question, even though Hanna expected no answer.

Aria frowned. "She looks really familiar..."

There was a small silence. They just watched her. Especially Emily. She traced every single move, her eyes flicking up and down the image of her body in that adorable, white dress..

Aria looked over at Emily, finding it odd that she hadn't said anything. Immediately, Aria noticed the flushed cheeks and the look in Emily's eyes. She recognized it. She saw it in Emily all the time when she used to be with Alison, and Maya, and Paige. She tapped Hanna and gestured towards Emily. Hanna's eyes widened.

"Em!" Hanna exclaimed. "You are _so totally_ checking that girl out, aren't you?!"

Emily whipped her head towards Hanna, eyes wide. "Wh-what?"

"You had that look," said Aria. Hanna had a big grin on her face now.

Emily gave her an 'I was _not_ doing whatever you were suspecting I was doing' look to Hanna. "I don't know what you're talking about.

"You know, she looks really nice. I'm sure she's over there for a good reason. And she _is_ really pretty," Spencer chimed in. They all had smiles on their faces now, and Aria and Hanna were turned towards a red-faced Emily.

"Pretty?" said Hanna, now looking out the window. "Spencer, she's smokin' hot!"

"Hanna!" Emily exclaimed, rolling her eyes. But she was also laughing while saying her friend's name because she knew Hanna was right... Aria began to laugh, too. Hanna just kept the giant smile on her face. She was so happy that her friend was already interested in other people so quickly after she and Paige had broken up.

Just then, Spencer became serious again. "Guys, look," she said.

They all looked out the window now, to see the chestnut brunette sitting on Ali's bed.

She was crying.

Crying actually isn't a good word to describe it. This girl was _sobbing. _Her hands were over her face, and her back was arched. Her whole body violently shook. And in her lap was a piece of construction paper. Emily could tell that there were pictures on it, but they were too far away to see what was on it.

Spencer's face was filled with sorrow. Aria brought her knees to her chin and held them to her body. Emily looked away. She couldn't even watch. The girl was crying too hard.

"Oh my God, that's... so horrible," Hanna said. "She's crying so hard. Do you think she's crying because of... Ali?"

"I... I don't know," replied Spencer. "I don't recognize her. I think we'd recognize her if she was ever friends with Ali." Spencer paused. "But, ever since CeCe Drake, who knows how many friends Alison had that we never knew about?"

Emily felt anger boil up inside of her just at the sound of CeCe's name. That stupid bitch was redcoat, and they knew it. The four girls needed to find her. And soon, before she did something dangerous.

"Should... we do something about her? Like, go over there or something? See what's wrong?" Emily asked.

"It looks like she wants to just be left alone," said Spencer.

Hanna and Aria stood up. "I need to go," said Hanna. "My mom is probably wanting me back." She looked down. "I miss her, too."

Aria sighed. "Mike needs to be watched back at the house."

"Wait, guys!" said Spencer. "The original reason I brought you here was to help me cheer up Emily! But, I guess we got distracted..." She looked towards the crying girl in Alison's room.

Emily smiled. "I appreciate it, but it's okay. They can leave if they want to."

"We don't _want_ to, we _have _to," answered Aria.

Spencer sighed. "Okay. Bye guys."

The blonde and the short brunette smiled, and turned towards Spencer's door. Once they had left, Emily turned to Spencer.

"Spence," she began. "Would it be okay if I stayed over here tonight? I don't feel like going home and wallowing in my sadness about Paige any more..." It was even hard to say her ex's name.

Spencer scooted over towards her friend and put her arm around her. "Of course! You are totally welcome here whenever you want." Spencer then pointed with her thumb towards the door somewhere behind them.

"Let me just quickly go take a shower, okay?" she said.

Emily nodded and smiled. "Thank you," she said.

Spencer turned and left her room. The song had changed- Hurricane by MS MR. Emily wrapped her arms around her knees and, by instinct, continued to look out the window at the girl across the street.

The girl had stopped crying. She looked a lot happier now, as if all she needed was just to cry really hard for a few moments, and was laying on Alison's bed on her stomach, her feet up in the air. She was reading a small book with a green cover. Emily just kept watching her, loving every second. She couldn't keep herself from smiling a little bit.

After a while, the girl put the book down on the night table, got up, and began looking for something in Alison's room. Emily's smile faded when she saw this. What if this girl was looking for something bad? What if she was working for A or CeCe somehow? Emily really didn't want this girl to be bad.

But after watching her for a minute, the girl had found what she was looking for. They were red speakers. Emily recognized them- Alison used to use them sometimes to play music. The girl plugged them into the wall, put her phone on it, and chose a song. Obviously, Emily couldn't hear the song that she chose. But she could tell that this girl really liked the song, because she began to twirl around the room. Emily saw her lips moving- the girl was singing along. She wondered if she was a good singer.

Emily grinned and watched, giggling when the girl would do something funny, like accidentally trip a little bit. She didn't know how much more cuteness she could take. This girl was absolutely adorable- and just about her age, maybe a year younger, because she looked around 17. Emily had just turned 18. When she caught herself comparing age differences, she told herself she was being ridiculous.

Eventually, the girl unplugged the speakers and put them away. She put her phone back on her nightstand, right next to her green book.

And she began to unzip the back of her dress.

Emily stopped smiling, her eyes getting wide. There was no way she was going to watch this- she knew her boundaries. She saw the girl reveal only her tan, muscular back before she shut Spencer's blinds, blocking her view. She felt herself heavily blushing.

But she couldn't stop thinking about this girl.


	3. Sound Asleep

**Thanks so much to everyone who favorited and followed this story! And especially to everyone who reviewed! I hope to get more fans as I write more and more chapters, and I hope I keep the story good and interesting to you all, because my reviewers and followers are awesome :)**

**Please enjoy the 2nd chapter!**

* * *

**2: Sound Asleep**

Emily heard Spencer turn off the water in the shower. To keep herself entertained, she had picked up one of Spencer's 'non-educational' books that she had found laying on her desk. The book was called _The Everafter__, _and she liked it so far. So far it was about a girl who finds herself in an vast expanse of pretty much nothing, and she realizes that she is dead. She doesn't know how, or remember anything from her life. Emily had read on the back that there are glowing objects from her past in this place that take her back and have her re-experience these moments that have to do with the objects from her life. The cover was dark blue with a glowing orchid on the front, and the cover had caught Emily's eye.

Just as it was getting good, Spencer walked in with wet hair and a towel wrapped around her thin body. She began going through a drawer of clothes, and then looked over at Emily.

"Do you mind if I just put on pajamas?" she said. "Because I assume we're not going out or anything."

"No, I don't mind at all," said Emily. "Can I borrow some?"

"Sure," said Spencer. She threw a tank top and shorts over her way. Then, Spencer noticed the book she was reading.

"Ooh, that's a good one!" she said, putting her shorts on from under her towel. She turned away, dropped her towel and put on a grey tank top all in one fluid motion. "Did you get that off of my desk?"

Emily nodded. She began changing as well. When she was done, she said, "I like it."

Spencer jumped onto her bed, and laid with her stomach down, legs up and her fists holding up her head. She was facing her, and Emily noticed a mischievous look in Spencer's eye- a look that Emily got whenever Spencer would want to ask about personal things. Emily put down the book and eyed her brunette friend suspiciously.

"So," began Spencer. "This new girl across the street from us. Just how hot is she? My hotness meter only works for guys."

Emily laughed. "Spencer!"

"Were you watching her while I was in the shower?!" Spencer was grinning.

Emily was giggling like crazy now. When she stopped, she smiled with an evil look and said, "Maybe..."

Spencer laughed. "And don't you try to avoid my other question, Emily! Hanna seemed to know that she was hot, so how about you?"

Emily smiled and looked down. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Because I'm your friend! Friends love having their friends be happy, and talking about cute guys-or girls, of course-with each other. It's what we're here for. You know, like whenever me, or Aria, or Hanna get excited about a new guy, you get excited and want us to tell you everything too, right?" Spencer gave her a soft punch on the shoulder.

Emily laughed again. "Yeah, of course."

"So now," said Spencer. "This girl next door. Why is she fascinating to you?"

Emily looked in the direction of the curtains. "I've never actually talked to her, you know. And I've only seen her for, what, 45 minutes?" But Spencer had a look on her face that meant she wasn't giving up until Emily said more. Emily smirked.

"She's _really_ cute, though. I think if we met, I would really like her..." Emily finally answered. Spencer grinned, happy she got what she wanted.

"But, of course, I don't even know her name, or if she likes girls and would actually like me back, or anything about her!" Feeling weird, Emily placed her head in her hands and sighed.

Spencer put her hand on her shoulder. "Tell you what. Why not tomorrow, we go over there, introducing ourselves as new neighbors, and we'll meet her."

Emily looked up. "You'd do that with me?"

Spencer nodded. She got up and sat next to Emily. "I understand how it feels seeing someone you want to be with, and finding out its not even possible for them to like you back. Well, actually, I don't understand, because it's never happened to me. But I mean, I get what it must feel like. So I'll help you, okay? And all I want to do is cheer you up, because I feel bad about what happened between you and Paige."

Sadness filled Emily by the sound of her name, but she smiled. "You're the best, Spence," she said as she hugged her friend.

After they let go, Spencer announced, "How about we watch a bunch of really cheesy rom-coms that probably star Jennifer Aniston or Adam Sandler, and just have fun?"

Emily grinned. "How about one that stars _both _of them?"

Spencer gave her a knowing look. "_Just Go With It?"_

She laughed. "You read my mind."

* * *

_It was getting late. __The two girls had fallen asleep around three quarters through their third movie, _The Proposal. _Sleeping on Spencer's bed soundly, the light from the TV changed every time the scene changed, and the volume was turned to a low volume. __  
_

_A shadow came from the corner of the room. The two sleeping girls didn't even notice that _they _were there. The hooded figures walked up, standing right over them. It was all so easy for them. After all, they see everything._

_The black-hooded figure handed over a small black case, about the size of their hand. The person who had received the case gingerly opened it, careful not the wake the girls. Inside were two small syringes of liquids. These syringes contained a drug that would knock these two out for plenty of time, so they could fufil their plan. _

_The one in the red coat smiled._

_Her plan was perfect._

_She stuck the needle into Emily's arm and quickly inserted the liquid, then immediately took it out. She was very careful not to wake Emily as she did this. The hooded figure did the same thing with Spencer. She tensed when Emily shifted and moaned, her eyes fluttering open slightly, but the drug was fast to take action. Her eyes drooped closed just as quickly as they had opened._

_She looked over at the black-hooded figure, a wicked smile still plastered onto her face._

_"2 down, 3 to go."_


	4. Wounds

**Alright, chapter 3! :D Thanks again for reviews, and thanks to Breyanaxo about the idea to do a little part with Katherine's POV!**

**Ok, so the part in ****_italics_**** is back in the past, when Alison is about 14, and Katherine is 13. I guess that is pretty important. So if Katherine is 16, almost 17 now, that means it happened about 4 years ago from the present. And Alison was 16 when she disappeared, and that means that she went missing 2 years ago because the girls are 18 now. Correct? Ah, confusing right? Don't worry, Ive got it under control.**

**P.S. This is just a minor gore/violence warning! Although I try to keep it not super graphic or anything, I do describe blood and pain and violent in this chapter, and probably in later chapters too. If you have any problem with this, this is a warning, and I apologize.**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

**3: Wounds**

_"What?! You're moving?!" _

_Katherine was crying now. She nodded. "My dad says that we can barely afford the house here anymore. He said he found a cheaper house that we're moving in to tomorrow, in some weird, tiny town in Ohio."_

_Alison's jaw practically fell off. "_Ohio_? But... that's so far away..." Tears rushed down her cheek. Katherine hadn't seen Ali show this much emotion in a while..._

_They hugged, sitting on Alison's bed. Katherine breathed in her friend's honey-colored hair. She loved her friend so much. __A little more than she probably should have. Her strong feelings towards Alison were confusing- sometimes they felt like feelings that were more than just 'friendship' feelings..._

_But what she didn't know was Alison knew about this, too. Alison didn't mind._

_Ali kissed her friend on the cheek. She put her forehead on the side of her brunette friend's head and whispered into her ear. "Don't forget my promise, okay? We'll always be friends, and I will always try my hardest to protect you."_

_Katherine nodded and slowly stood up from the bed, even though she didn't want to leave. Katherine looked right into her sapphire eyes._

_"I will never forget you, Alison."_

* * *

**_Present day_**

Katherine took a deep breath, turned the knob and opened the door.

Memories immediately hit her. The sights, the smells, _everything_ about this place reminded her of Alison. She spent more time here at the Dilaurentis's house than she spent at her own house. She couldn't believe she was moving in here. Yes, she was glad that her dad stopped drinking as much as he used to and actually got a good job in Rosewood, but it would be so hard having all of these memories of Alison while living here. It hurt so much to think about her childhood friend, and she couldn't believe she was... gone.

The whole house was set up just the way Katherine remembered it 4 years ago, the day she had told Alison she was moving and had left Rosewood. All of the DiLaurentis's furniture, pictures, decorations, and everything else was still there.

Just then, her dad walked in. He looked tired and worn-out from the drive from their house in Ohio all the way to Rosewood. He looked around, his hand on the back of his head.

"The DiLaurentis's said we could use their things for a few days until the movers come back and help us with unpacking our things. For now, you can use Alison's old room." With that, he walked into the kitchen, looking around with his hands on his hips.

Katherine carried her small suitcase of essential things she needed, like clothes and a toothbrus, and gracefully glided up the stairs, through the hallway and opened the door to Alison's room.

She had to take a deep breath as she stood in the doorway, looking around into her room. Just like the rest of the room, it was the same. The window was there with the same shades that looked out to other houses and a beautiful view of Rosewood. The 2 white couches were on either side of the window. Her bed was in the same place. Every poster, every journal, every nail polish bottle, all in the same place. It was painful.

Katherine walked around and put her arms to the sides of her white dress she was wearing. She fiddled with the navy blue bow and let her green eyes wander. Her eyes landed on something she had forgotten about, and shivers ran up and down her spine.

It was the poster that Alison and Courtney had made her all those years ago. The one they had given to her on her birthday, aka the day that the... incident happened. She had hung it up in Alison's room that day, and it had stayed there until this moment. Katherine walked over, unpinned it from the wall, and walked back over to Alison's bed. She sat down, looking down at the best present she had ever received on the worst day of her life.

Tears welled up into her eyes. She felt a hot, sticky tear run down her cheek. Before she knew it, she was crying so hard her whole body shook. This went on for a few minutes.

Finally, she took control of herself. She wiped the tears off of her face as best as she could, quickly splashed water on her face, and took deep breaths. Alison had been dead for 2 years, and she still sobbed all of the time. This loss was _not _easy for her.

She needed something to cheer her up, and an idea popped into her mind. She went over to Ali's bookshelf and pulled out a small green book. _The Perks of Being a Wallflower_ by Stephen Chbosky was one of her and Ali's absolute favorites. She laid down on the bed and began to read.

After reading for a little while, Katherine put down the book. She had another idea. She rummaged through a drawer and grasped the red speakers she was looking for. She quickly set it up and pressed _PLAY _on her iPod.

One of her favorite songs came on- _Still Into You_ by Paramore. She began to dance and twirl around the room. As the song went on, she sang along and just tried to enjoy herself. She tried to forget Alison- it was too painful. But it was kind of hard to forget her when she was standing right in her room.

As the song ended, she sighed. She unplugged the speakers, and began to change into pajamas. As she was doing this, she thought something out the window. She looked out, but all she saw was a window to someone else's house, and the shades were closed. She shrugged and continued changing.

* * *

_Several hours later..._

Katherine was laying down on the bed, reading _The Perks of Being a Wallflower_ once again. As she was reading the small green book, she heard a noise. She looked up above her book. It was getting late, and she was going to go to sleep soon

"Dad?" she called out. "That you?"

No response.

Katherine scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Weird," she said to herself. She went back to her book.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _There were three slow knocks at the bedroom door._  
_

She laughed. "Dad, you can come in, you don't need to knock," she said.

When no one replied, she frowned. "Hello? Are you deaf? I said come in!"

Nothing.

Katherine threw back her head and groaned. "What is wrong with you? Ugh. I'm coming." She had no idea why her dad was making her come to the door. It wasn't like her door was locked. In fact, it was really _creepy_ that he wasn't responding to her. As she opened it, she said, "Is this some kind of practical joke-"

The person standing in front of her wasn't her dad.

It was a person in all black.

Katherine nearly passed out it scared her so bad. Just as she was about to scream, she felt something hit her stomach. Whatever had hit her had completely stopped her from screaming. Body trembling, she slowly looked down.

A giant knife was in the hand of this person, and part of it was inside of her stomach. It was already dripping with blood. The hooded figure pulled it out, and the crimson liquid immediately began to flow even harder than before

A gloved hand went over Katherine's mouth so her weak attempt at yelling for help was inaudible. Her vision became blurry. Although she couldn't feel the pain of the knife because of the shock and adrenalin, she knew she would feel it later. Katherine kept thinking she would wake up and find out this was all just a nightmare, because everything that was happening was so unreal.

She felt herself lose her strength and fall into the hooded figure's arms. She felt a pinch in her arm, like a needle had been thrusted into it, and she began to lose consciousness. Her eyes felt heavier and heavier, and finally, as much as she wanted to stay awake, she couldn't anymore. She let the darkness swallow her.

* * *

Katherine felt herself awaken. At first, she couldn't hear or see anything. But she gradually was able to hear odd, creaking noises. The sound at first was quiet, but it became louder, and louder, and louder, as if someone was turning up the volume, until she gained complete power over her hearing again.

She tried to open her eyes, but every time she did, they would quickly shut again. This went on for quite some time, until Katherine began to take more control of her body. She moved her hands to her face and groaned.

Suddenly, all of the memories from what she had most recently experienced returned to her. Her eyes flew open, and she began to take in the sights around her.

She was in a room of a very old house. It was dusty and completely made out of wood, and the room was dark and obviously had no windows. There were odd toys strewn across the floor, including dolls and toy trains. Katherine was lying on her back on a very old couch. The back of the couch was up against her left side.

Katherine remembered what had happened even more vividly, and now she was terrified to look down towards her stomach. Remembering the knife sticking out of her own body was the most scarring image she had ever seen, and she wished it was a nightmare. Face scrunched, she slowly tilted her head down, and opened one eye to see.

Katherine cried out very loudly. She had never seen so much blood before. It was absolutely horrifying. She began to feel the pain shoot through the wounded area. She had never been so terrified in her life. As the pain became more intense, she cried out even louder than before. A thought repeated in her head.

_I am going to die. I am going to die. I am going to die. _

She looked to her right side, down on the floor, moaning because every movement that she made hurt. She noticed a white rag in the middle of the floor, and Katherine knew that this would help her wound. But, it was much too far away for her to reach. She felt tears pour down her face in frustration. Who would do this awful thing to her anyway? She wasn't able to see a face on the dark-hooded person. She didn't even see if this person was a man or a woman. She was too busy being shocked that this creepy person was even standing in front of her.

Katherine didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't know where she was. She didn't know how long she had been on the couch or what time it was. Katherine was just happy that the knife wound wasn't deep enough to kill her or cause her to lose too much blood.

Katherine reluctantly looked down at the wound. As she did this, she also noticed she was no longer wearing the same clothes. She was now wearing a dark blue letterman jacket, with white leather sleeves and was lined with a gray hoodie. She had on a gray v-neck that was purposefully raised up above her wound, so Katherine could see it. She also had dark jeans on, and the converse she was wearing when she wore the dress.

She looked down at the wound and noticed that it looked fresh, like she had been stabbed not too long ago. By this she assumed she had been in this weird room for maybe a couple hours, but she couldn't be positive. All she knew is that she was still losing blood and she needed that rag.

Katherine began yelling for help. Maybe someone else was in the house, or maybe the house she was in was close to other occupied houses. Tears were rushing down her face, and every time she yelled, her stomach hurt more and more.

She had never been more terrified in her life.

* * *

"Emily! Please wake up! Em, can you hear me? We really need you to wake up, now!"

Emily let out a small moan. Her head hurt, and her mind felt numb. Turning her head, she grumbled, "Spence, just let me sleep longer, please..."

"You don't understand!" Spencer practically shouted into her ear. "Snap out of it! We were put into this weird room!"

Still out of it, Emily didn't process the information very quickly. She opened her eyes just a little bit, and everything was blurry. "Wh... what?"

Suddenly, she could hear something. It sounded like... Aria. And she was... crying? Why was Aria crying?

And why was she with them?

Emily began to open her eyes more. It was dark, and she couldn't see much through her blurry vision, but she could tell something wasn't right. This wasn't Spencer's room. She could see Spencer sitting on her knees over her, and she was holding her shoulders.

"Please, Emily. Listen to me. I think we were all drugged and brought to this weird place. Hanna just woke up before you."

Emily's brain, although still slow, began to realize what was going on. Her eyes widened. Her vision finally became clear and her eyes were adjusted. Spencer helped Emily sit up. And suddenly, her brain was awake.

"Omygod. Where the hell are we?!"

Looking around, it looked like it used to be some weird living room in a basement. There were no windows. Only old, wooden walls and floorboards. Dusty furniture decorated the room.

Emily looked around, panicking. She spotted Aria, who was sitting on a couch, crying. Emily stood up, still slightly woozy from the drug that was apparently put inside of her. She rushed over to Aria, sitting down next to her, wrapping her arms around her and placing her friend's brunette head on her chest. This whole experience hadn't kicked in for Emily yet. Her mind was still processing the fact that they were in some basement of an abandoned house. It was too unreal.

"It's going to be okay, Aria. Don't worry," she said, even though Emily wasn't sure if she believed herself. Spencer came over and sat on Aria's other side.

Emily rarely saw her small friend cry like this. Usually, Emily was the one crying and breaking down, because she was the most sensitive one to these situations.

Emily looked over at Hanna, who was on the gray couch across from her. Hanna shook her head in disbelief, her blonde curls bouncing, and put her head in her hands.

Spencer looked around. "I think A locked us in this basement. We should go out of this room and see if there are any ways to get out of here, or contact someone."

Just as Spencer said this, they heard something. It was loud and clear.

"Help!"

They all looked at each other, eyes wide. Aria detached herself from Emily and wiped her eyes.

"There's someone else locked in this basement!"

At first, the girls were all frozen in place. When they heard the cry for help again, they jumped up and raced towards the door. Fortunately, it wasn't locked, and opened with loud creaks. They entered the hallway. There were several doors in the hallway leading to other rooms. Emily found this odd- when she thought of basements, she usually thought they were just one room. This basement was like a whole floor.

"Please, someone!"

They ran over to the door that the yelling came from, and tuned the knob. They creaky door swung open.

All four girls gasped.

Inside, there was a girl. She was lying on a couch, her face wet with tears. She was small and had dark hair, pulled up in a bow. Her shirt was rolled up to reveal a wound on her abdomen. There was so much blood. Emily could barely look.

And then she realized who this girl was. She recognized her. And she knew why.

She was the girl next door. The girl living in Alison's house.


	5. Escape

**4: Escape**

At first, all four girls stood in the doorway, shocked. The girl laying on the couch was staring at them, wide-eyed.

Emily noticed the rag on the floor.

"We have to help her!" said Emily.

She walked over, grabbing the rag off of the floor as she did, and sat on the couch right next to her head.

"Are you okay?" asked Emily, realizing this was a stupid question. Of course she wasn't okay. "Everything is going to be fine." Emily looked at her friends. "You guys go explore the place, check out if there's anything useful. Maybe a first aid kit, or bandages? Anything. And I'll stay here and take care of her."

Spencer nodded. "Good idea." The three girls left and went into the hallway.

Emily began to move her arms underneath her. "Do you mind if I move you? I'll be gentle."

The girl shook her head. "It's okay. I trust you." Her voice was light, but sounded strained. The pain must have been intense.

Emily, being as gentle as she possibly could, began to lift the girl, so she could hold her and get a better angle on her wound while she held her in her arms. She began to move her body up onto her own. The girl winced many times. One time, she cried out and Emily could see tears well up in her eyes.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Please, don't apologize," said the girl. "It isn't your fault. Thank you for helping me. I think I would've... well, I think I would've died if you hadn't found me. I'm kind of losing a lot of blood, and I'm starting to feel dizzy..."

Although it took a while, Emily finished moving her body onto hers. The girl was now sitting almost upright in her lap. The girl leaned her head onto Emily's chest, looking exhausted and in pain.

Emily felt her heart speed up and skip a beat. She had to admit that it felt really good to have such a pretty girl in her arms... Even under the circumstances.

Emily began to move the rag towards her wound. "Okay. This might hurt a little."

She felt the girl nod under her chin, preparing herself.

Emily gently placed the rag onto her wound, applying some pressure. She knew this is what you were supposed to do with wounds like these. The cloth immediately began to seep with the crimson liquid.

The girl winced. "Ow," she moaned softly, wrapping her arms around Emily's neck.

"I'm no expert on treating wounds, but I think this will help stop the blood from flowing," she said.

The girl nodded, wincing again.

For a moment, Emily just took in the sight of this girl. Her soft, chestnut hair that brushed against her chest was tied up with a colorful, purple bow, and her olive skin glowed, even in the dark room. She had huge, green eyes. They were a color Emily had never even imagined could be the color of anyone's eyes. They were incredible, and Emily felt like she could get lost in them. Her skin was soft, and she could feel her warmth embrace her, even through her clothes. Her silky arms were gently wrapped around Emily's neck. She didn't even know her name, and she was already driving her crazy.

"Are... you comfortable?" she asked. She didn't want her to feel weird because she was holding her so... intimately.

The girl laughed softly. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. And, thank you again. I might not even be alive without you and your friends..." She wrapped her arms around her neck a little tighter and pressed her head into her chest with a little more weight.

Spencer, Aria and Hanna came back in. They rushed over to the couch, looking anxious and worried for the girl in Emily's arms. Under every other circumstance, they would have been excited for Emily that she was already becoming so close to this girl she was obviously into. But this was different. There was no time to think about that.

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Spencer.

"I think so," said Emily. She noticed Hanna on the other side of the couch, looking very squeamish from all the blood.

Spencer decided it was time to ask the basic questions. She needed some answers.

"Hi," she said. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

The girl shook her head.

"First of all, who are you?"

"M-my name is Katherine," the girl said. "I'm almost 17 years old."

Spencer smiled. "Do you mind explaining just exactly... how you got here, and who did this to you?" She gestured towards Katherine's stomach.

The girl shook her head. "It was awful. I was just sitting in my room, and when I opened the door, someone dressed in all black with a hoodie on was there. Before I knew it, the person had stabbed me, and I think I passed out... and then I found myself here. It was... Unreal."

Emily saw Aria shed a tear. Spencer shook her head in disbelief. "Did you see who this person was?"

She shook her head. Disappointment bubbled inside of Emily.

Spencer looked at the girl. "Did you move to Rosewood recently, Katherine? Because I think you now live in the house our... friend used to live in." Spencer looked down at the last part of this sentence.

Emily felt Katherine tighten her grip around her neck. Everyone in the room tensed their muscles. "Yes." She paused. "It was Alison's."

Emily felt shock hit her body like an oncoming train. Just by saying this name, the whole room was eerily silent. It was a silence that was uncomfortable, and needed to be broken. Spencer cleared her throat before she continued to ask the girl her questions.

"You... knew her, too?" Spencer said in disbelief. How much did this girl know about Rosewood? She had just moved...

The girls waited on the edge of their seats in anticipation. They were eager to know the answer. Katherine looked down, a sad look filling her green eyes.

"Yes." She looked right into Spencer's eyes. "When I was five, all the way until I was 13, we were incredibly close friends."

Emily couldn't help herself from blurting. "Wait. Seriously? You knew her that well?"

She nodded. "I swear, we spent every moment of every day together. I grew up here, in Rosewood." She looked around. "Well, that is, assuming we are still in Rosewood." She quickly changed the subject. "We were inseparable. And the, my dad made us move to Ohio when I was 13. A couple years after we had moved, we had received the news from another friend that she had passed on. My dad couldn't afford a trip back to Pennsylvania, so I couldn't even come for the funeral. I was... Devastated. She was my best friend..." A tear slowly ran down her cheek, and her head went back to resting on Emily's chest.

"Wait," said Emily. "If you knew Alison, then why don't we know each other?"

Katherine lifted and dropped her shoulders, not knowing the answer. "Were you guys close with her?"

"_Incredibly _close," said Aria. "That's why we're surprised..."

Katherine's eyes widened. "Ohmygod. No way. Are you guys... THE four?" She laughed, but quickly stopped, her stomach hurting from the laughter. "Alison talked about you constantly!" She pointed towards Hanna. "You must be Hanna, the blonde one." Her finger moved to Aria. "And you're Aria, the one with the unique fashion style." She looked at Spencer. "You have to be Spencer, the intelligent one, who always likes to be the leader, and that just leaves..." she looked up at the girl who was holding her.

"...Emily." She smiled wide. "I can't believe I'm finally getting to officially meet you all. You all sounded so amazing."

Aria smiled. "She really talked about us that much?"

Katherine smiled and nodded, but quickly wincing in pain after doing so. "But, just when you five were becoming much closer, and Alison wanted to introduce me, I had to move to Ohio... That's why we've never met."

"Wow," said Spencer. "I had no idea..."

Katherine yawned. "I can't be totally sure, but I think it might still be nighttime," she said. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted..." she closed her eyes, settling into Emily's lap even more.

Spencer, Aria, and Hanna all gave Emily a look that said, 'Well well, what's going on here...?' Hanna began to raise her eyebrows up and down. They were all smiling. Emily rolled her eyes at all of them.

Hanna came over and handed her some more useful materials. "When we were looking around, we found these bandages and pieces of cloth and rags. We also found a ton of food, thank God... It's like A put us in here, but _wants _us to live!"

"Hanna," said Spencer, smiling mischievously. "I think we should go and find a place to sleep. Em, you can sleep here and take care of her to make sure she's okay through the rest of the night, right?"

Emily laughed. "Yeah, of course."

The three girls left. All though they were happy moments ago, the reality of the location they were currently in kept reminding them that A was winning his or her stupid game. Emily was so done with it, and she assumed the same for her friends.

Emily sighed, trying to focus on the positive things. She looked down at Katherine, smiling. The girl was taking deep, even breaths, and Emily could hear her heart pulsing slow and steady, indicating that she was asleep. Emily smiled. She replace the rag that she was holding on the wound with another one, and used some bandages to wrap it around her tiny body. After she had finished, her eyes became incredibly droopy, and, resting her head on Katherine's soft hair, fruity-scented hair, she felt herself drift off into sleep.


	6. Memories

**5: Memories**

_Emily nibbled on the half-eaten chocolate chip cookie in her hand without enthusiasm. Alison's living room couch was soft and comfortable, and Emily ran her hand along the soft material. Her new friend had nice furniture._

_Her blonde friend walked in from the kitchen, her blonde curls bouncing as she strode towards Emily, sitting down on the couch right next to her. Emily couldn't help but notice how pretty she was- her honey blonde hair in a pile of soft, loose ringlets on her head, her creamy, somewhat pale skin tinted with just a bit of color, her cheeks and lips pink and rosy, and her eyes like two circular chips of ice that had melted into a ring around her black pupils. Looks (and personality) wise, she was the complete opposite from her, with her olive skin, silky, straight ebony hair, and eyes the color of black coffee, but still very pretty never the less._

_As Alison sat down, she sighed. Emily could tell something was bothering her- distressed radiated off of her body._

_"What's wrong?" she asked. "You look like your about to get a college acceptance letter in the mail or something."_

_Alison looked at her friend and smirked. "Already thinking about colleges, Em? Calm down, we're 14. We just started high school like 4 months ago." _

_Emily shrugged. "I was just comparing your level of anxiety to something."_

_Ali bit her lip, which made Emily's heart race, and she wasn't sure why. "I'm just going through something with a friend right now..."_

_Emily tilted her head. "Who? Spencer? I swear, you guys are always fighting. It really needs to stop."_

_She laughed, throwing back her blonde head slightly. "No, it isn't Spencer. It's no one you know." She looked at Emily with clear blue eyes, flicking them up and down her tan, athletic body. "But I know you'd definitely like her."_

_"What's her name?" she asked._

_Ali shrugged. "Doesn't matter."_

_Emily glared at her. "Don't get secretive, Alison. Seriously."_

_Alison rolled her eyes. "Well, it doesn't! Because she's gone now." She looked at her friend. "Everything that we love eventually leaves us. We have to accept that, Em. And for me, everything I love seems to be leaving me so quickly..." She looked down, and Emily could tell there was something she wasn't telling her. But she didn't mind. It was Alison, after all. It definitely wasn't uncommon for her to keep secrets._

_Finishing off the cookie she still held in her hand, Emily continued to watch her friend for a few heartbeats. The sound of a ringing phone made Emily jump a bit. Alison had a confused look on her face. "Weird," she muttered. "Barely anyone calls our home phone anymore." She stood and walked over to the nearest ringing phone, picked it up, pushed the green button and put it to her ear. "Hello?" she said, flashing Emily a weird look. Emily simply shrugged. After the person on the phone was finished saying something, she responded,__"Yes, this Alison DiLaurentis. Who is this?"_

_The sound of talking on the other line was faint, and Emily couldn't make out the words. But whoever it was, it caused Alison's face to harden with complete seriousness. She looked even more worried than before._

_'Who is it?' Emily mouthed to Alison. But she got no response. Alison turned and began to walk into the other room, disappearing around the corner. Curiosity took over the brunette as she got up from the couch and hid behind the corner, listening to the conversation._

_"No, I can't," said Alison in a hushed voice. There was a pause as Alison listened to the person on the other line._

_"I know, I know, but I don't think I could bear to see her," she said. "I mean, after what happened the last time I ever saw her? I just couldn't. I haven't seen her for at least 4 years. Besides, I'm pretty sure she won't want to see me, either." The voice on the other line continued to talk, and Alison looked confused._

_"Who? Who did she ask for?" As the person talked, her eyes widened. _

_"What?!" she exclaimed. "She asked for her, but not one of her family members?" Alison was obviously astonished by this mysterious news. "Well, she can't visit. She moved far away from Pennsylvania and I don't think she's coming back any time soon." Sadness filled her eyes as she said this. "Look, Miss. I know she needs someone to see her, but everyone is afraid of what will happen. After all, we wouldn't want to make her condition even_ more _worse. I don't think that seeing one of us will help. That's why we've never visited her.__ Sorry." Alison paused. "But, do you think you could tell her... that I miss her?"_

_The voice droned on once again. Alison sighed. "Alright, I understand." Another pause. "You too. Goodbye."_

_Emily's head was spinning with questions. Who in the world was Alison talking to? And who was she talking about? _

_And why was Alison being so secretive about it?_

* * *

Emily woke up with a jolt. At first forgetting where she was, she looked to her right, trying to check her alarm clock for the time. As she opened her eyes and realized she was in fact not in her room, she jolted awake once again. Memories of the unfortunate events flooded back into her mind.

She looked down at Katherine sleeping in her lap. Emily smiled and rested her cheek on her head, but her smile faded when she remembered her dream last night. Her dream was a memory she had of a strange phone call Alison had gotten many years ago. Nostalgia filled her stomach, and she missed her blonde friend. She liked her so much...

Emily must have moved too much, because Katherine began to stir in her lap. She moaned, putting her hand on her obviously painful knife wound, and blinked her green eyes sleepily. "Ouch," she said.

"I... just had the weirdest dream," said Emily. "But it wasn't a dream... It was a memory. Like a flashback or something."

Katherine looked up, her eyes tired. "What memory was it about?"

"It was this memory I forgot about that I had a little while ago. I was with Alison, just around when we became friends, and she got this really strange phone call..." Emily began explaining the complete story, Katherine paying close attention to every detail.

When she was done telling her story, she sighed. "Do you know anything about what she might have been talking about."

Katherine inhaled, about to say something, but quickly changed her mind, closing her jaw. She looked as if there was a debate about if she should say whatever she was going to say in her head.

"Well... I..." was all Katherine could allow to escape her mouth.

Emily's eyes widened. "Wait. Do you know something about this?"

Katherine looked off into the distance, frustration brimming her green eyes. "I was promised never to tell _anyone._"

Emily's heart skipped a beat and her stomach felt like it was being drop-kicked inside of her body. "Please, tell me!" she said. What if she knew something incredibly important? Maybe something about A, or Alison's death! It could change her and her friend's lives...

"No. I can't. I really can't. I don't want to put you and your friends in danger," she replied. Emily noticed the nervous sweat beginning to form around her face.

Emily felt an emotion she had never even felt before come to a boil inside of her. Her heart was racing. "What kind of information are you keeping from us that can _put our lives in danger? _How can a piece of information be that important?"

Katherine shook her head. "You really don't want to know. I can't be the one to tell you. It's way to dangerous, especially if A knew you knew as well."

Shivers flew down Emily's spine. Her mind was reeling. She rewound what Katherine had just said. "W-wait. Did you just say... Ohmygod. You know about A?!"

Katherine sighed. "Yes," she said. "You four aren't the only people that get texts from A..."

Emily couldn't believe what was happening. Questions were spinning around in her mind. She felt like she was about to fall over. This girl could be the answer- or at leas have the answer- to all their problems. She had to tell the girls. Emily realized now that there was a reason they, whoever they were, trapped this girl in here with them.

If Katherine could tell her and the girls her incredibly important and secret information, Katherine could be the key to surviving the A-game.


End file.
